Stable Tails
by seafoamcyr
Summary: It's time the pets one sees at stables get to share their stories, don't you think?
1. Prologue

_This is an idea I've been toying with. I think I'll be switching perspectives a lot, but I'm not sure as of yet. Thus, you can call it an experiment. Reviews are welcomed :)_

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Countless hunters underestimate the bond they form between them and the beasts they tame in the wild, and therefore take that bond for granted. The numerous beasts one might see in stables in innumerable places are often abandoned, left for dead after being used as fodder by hunters they still feel a bond with despite the actions of the adventurer. The link formed by the adventurer and the beast they choose is nigh unbreakable, sometimes even by death. People don't realize this, and my heart breaks for the pets that end up here, sometimes never to leave the stables again. Although they are "just beasts" as some would so charmingly put it, they have memories, perspectives, thoughts, just as we do. After all, we hunters put them through hell in our adventures; I believe they should be able to tell their stories.


	2. Fluffy

_Let me know what you think of the different perspectives. Hope you enjoy! :)_

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_Fluffy POV_

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What kind of person can even call themselves a hunter if they name one such as I something so incredibly stupid? When people see me charging and growling, lightning crackling from everywhere, fangs bared and glowing, they should quiver in fear, nay, they should faint! Yes, faint from the sight of such a fearsome specimen as I am. Or perhaps, they should faint from being so in awe of my obvious power; I say obvious, because hello, lightning is whipping out all over me? How much more overt can you get, right?

Anyway, as I was saying: what kind of hunter names somebody like me Fluffy? Do you need a license to be an adventurer? If you do, she definitely needs her license revoked. Like, now. Or now that I put some thought into it, it would have been better to never have given it to her. That way, a magnificent magical wolf such as I wouldn't be stuck at the beck and call of a brainless blonde chit; the chit who I may add named me _Fluffy_! Of all things she could have chosen.

Aside from the name thing, which I am lobbying for her to change, the chit isn't that bad I suppose. She never misses a shot, and I receive loads of treats; I think the latter may be due to her forgetting already giving me several, but I'm not really complaining. The chit—as I'm going to be referring to her from now on, because her name is probably just as silly as mine—isn't really my main issue right now. What's really irritating me is this Loque'nahak bloke. Oh, look at me, I'm the mate of a loa goddess, I'm so special and amazing. Give it a rest, come _on._

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_Cyr POV_

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Had I realized how much of a pain in the arse I would get when I tamed Loki, believe me I wouldn't have. Okay, that's probably a lie; I love him to death, but I swear to Elune I can't take him anywhere without him causing some sort of trouble. Biting the guild leader's arse, tugging on any worgen's tail he can find, etcetera. I'm amazed I'm even welcome in Stormwind anymore. I may not be after this latest stunt; it wouldn't be that surprising. I'm not allowed to bring him to the Exodar already. Don't ask why, it's complicated. All I'll say is it concerned tails. I'm sure your imagination can fill in what happened there.

Anyhow, about Loki's latest behavior: he fought with another pet. In his defense, he didn't start it… technically, at least. I'll say he didn't throw the first punch or however you'd put it. But just between you and me, he got what was coming to him. It definitely wasn't one of those cases where one was just standing there minding their own business; oh no, not that at all. I heard the whole exchange, even if he thinks I wasn't listening or watching. Here's what went down.

After exiting the Auction House in the Dwarven District, I was stopped by a friend beside the fountain who wanted to ask me about crafting some armor. This friend tends to tip well, so yeah I'm gonna give them my attention. Not full attention, mind you. I always have to keep my peripheral vision and an ear trained on Loki, but I'll let him believe I was totally absorbed in what the other person was rambling on about.

As a hunter, I have to be aware of my surroundings, so earlier I had noticed the young human with Skoll by her side looking at a map with a confused expression on her face. It was only worth noticing because most hunters skilled enough to acquire a spirit beast are older. Since Loki shares a link with me, he of course took note of this too. But, he didn't look at the huntress as I did; my twerp of a cat zeroed in on Skoll, who—to put it lightly—was rather irked at his partner.

Loki, being the jerk he always is, thought that as I was busy, picking on Skoll was a fantastic decision. I could have told him beforehand that wasn't smart—the wolf was baring his fangs and raring to fight—but, Loki doesn't always tend to think, and he never backs down. So I finished my business, gave the quote the friend needed, and turned to watch silently.

"Anything you can do I can do better!" I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be me boasting, not you.

"No, you can't." The wolf just glared at Loki and spat the pithy reply, which of course spurred Loki on. A quick note: I can hear other pets that speak to Loki if I should wish; I'm not omniscient, I promise.

"Yessss I can!" I could almost feel the sick glee radiating off him.

"NO YOU CAN'T!" Skoll snarled and bristled, then to my surprise, went straight for Loki's throat. This is when I silently send up a prayer in thanks to the Mother Moon that Loki is as good at fighting as he is at being an arse. I start forward to yank Loki off by his scruff, but the wolf is panting under Loki, who already has his jaws locked around the former's throat.

"Yes. I. Can!" Upon hearing Loki's gloating conclusion to his little song, I yank him back and shove the wolf back toward his huntress, who looks completely bewildered. I don't think she even looked up from her map until now; how she tamed her Skoll, I don't think I could ever understand. I applaud her, but at the same time I am baffled.

Anyhow, at that point, the lone Stormwind guard that was nearby came over and not having seen the provocation, told the young woman that her pet needed to be watched more carefully or trained better. The alarm in her eyes at the last words was so apparent; I shoved Loki behind me and approached her.

"Take him to the stables. The stable master there works wonders when it comes to training pets, especially volatile ones." She stared at me as if confused for a moment, then a light seemed to flick on in her mind and she thanked me profusely before promptly turning to the guard and asking for directions to the stables. How a hunter—a human one, even—didn't know where the stables are in her home city, nor know the stable master, baffles me, but then that's really none of my business. I have to admit I am very curious though.

* * *

_Fluffy POV_

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I cannot believe the little chit had the audacity to take me to the stables. I am one-of-a-kind, and a brainless chit puts me in the equivalent of time-out. She smacked me on the nose and told me to behave, handed the man some silver pieces, and skipped away like he could do anything. I am magnificent, and no one can change me.

That jerk Loque'nahak was preening and flaunting and singing about how he was better than me; he was practically asking to get mauled. I won't say it wasn't pretty humiliating that he incapacitated me so quickly—it was—but I still think I taught him a lesson. Don't mess with me; I will hurt you. Just thinking about that arse sets my blood ablaze. I suppose I'm stuck here until the silly chit realizes she needs me to win any sort of real fight, so I better teach the other pets in here that I'm boss.

The only other thing I see here is a little black bear lying over in the shadows. It's probably cowering and crying for mommy bear. I approach the figure, which hasn't made a sound since I got here. This'll be easy. I crouch and snarl at it.

"I'd fight you, but you're so weak I bet you'll collapse before I even hit you."

This actually elicits a response—hah; never rise to such obvious bait. This will be fun. The figure begins to rise. Oh, it's much bigger than I had thought; still no problem for one such as I. It lumbers out and—oh. Uh-oh, this isn't good. The bear—I was at least right about what it was, point to me—rises to its full height and glares at me. I have to crane my neck to see its face; not good, since I'm not exactly what you'd call small.

"I will give you a fight if that's what you want, _PUP_!" The bear roars at me, and before I embarrass myself, I lower my gaze and back away, tucking my tail between my back legs.

Thorim's hammer, he's _huge_! I'm not exactly new to this world, but I have never seen a black bear as big as he is. The bear has returned to his corner, where he lies and glares at me, but believe me I won't be trying that again. He's obviously seen a lot of battles—sword scars all over his muzzle, finer patches of fur that indicate growing back after being torn out or otherwise removed in some other way, etcetera. I wonder where his hunter is—that's not the kind of pet one abandons, no way.

* * *

_Stable Master POV_

* * *

Our new temporary resident has met our Bjorn I see. Bjorn is not aggressive, thankfully—after being here years, I would be surprised if any aggression would remain, not that he had any to begin with. He's more of a gentle giant type; until you provoke him that is. I think our angry little spirit wolf has learned that much, though the amount of response Bjorn gave him shocked me. It'd certainly be an interesting development if an aggressive pup gets more response out of him than I have since he was brought here—it wouldn't take much to reach that mark, sadly. Time will tell for our dear Bjorn.


	3. Peaches

_This was a lot of fun to write. Hope you enjoy, because I certainly did :)_

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_Garm POV_

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The Isle of Giants isn't exactly an easy place to get to. When I finally emerged from the waters onto the coast, and saw her feasting on the corpse of another devilsaur, I thought "There she is, that's the one I want." I thought it was a stroke of luck that she bonded with me so easily; for a brief time, I wondered if karma had any basis in truth. I'd worked so long to get to the Isle, and the trials I expected to face never happened. She was just there. You know that uplifting feeling after you get what you've been after for so long? You don't realize how pleasant that is until something happens, and it evaporates.

I called her Bloodmaw, since the first time I'd seen her, she had blood dripping from her maw. See how this works? Maybe not the cleverest way of naming a pet, but I assumed from what she is, and how swiftly we bonded, that she'd be incredible in the fight against our enemies. The name would strike fear into their hearts, and Bloodmaw would act as an extension to my ferocity, so in sync we would be. If I were to put it simply… I was very, very wrong.

I swore to myself I would try and put this as kindly as possible, but kindness has in no way been one of my strengths; actually, kindness has never even been in my skill repertoire at all. Therefore, I will say this bluntly: Bloodmaw is quite possibly the most brainless devilsaur I have ever seen or heard tell of; this is significant, as devilsaurs have never been coveted for their intelligence. Usually, brute strength and viciousness makes up for that lack of brainpower.

I'm not sure Bloodmaw even knows how to be vicious. When I tame a new beast, I take it wherever the population of something needs to be reduced drastically, and then my latest beast and I proceed to do just that. This shows me how they fight, how well we work together, etcetera. This time, I brought her to the marshlands just north of Halfhill to slay cranes, as the population was becoming out of control. Just call me population control, right? Not exactly, not in this case anyway.

I pointed to one of the prime cranes, smack dab in the heart of the marsh, and ordered Bloodmaw to go slaughter it. I hadn't given her an order such as that yet, so it was more of a trial; usually, if that creature follows the command, I'm right there, aiding them. However, Bloodmaw just sort of… looked at me. Then I heard her voice in my head, asking a question I definitely didn't expect.

"Why are we killing that crane? What did it ever do to you?" For one, I didn't expect her voice to be so high pitched and girlish—she's a devilsaur, no one expects a young Jaina's voice from that, right? Secondly, what in the seven Hells kind of a question is that?

"You kill that crane because I tell you too. I am your master, and you will listen to what I say." I don't like to take that tone with any of my pets, certainly not a newly tamed one, but she seems to need it.

"Just because you're my master doesn't mean I need to end the life of a completely innocent crane. What kind of a monster are you?" Does she not understand what the term 'master' means?

"Master means I tell you what to do, and you do it without question."

"So you're saying you're actually not my master, since I won't be killing that crane?" Okay, maybe she's not completely brainless; she seems to be rather excellent at sass.

"This is what you're going to do: you are going to charge forward and end that crane's life. Why? You do that because I told you to. That's how this arrangement works between us. You do as I say and you get the privilege of seeing places very few adventurers ever get to. Understand now?"

"Oh, I understand what you're telling me to do. But you seem to be confused when it comes to understanding me." Excuse me?

I wait a few seconds, and then since this is my day for surprises, she does it again. Bloodmaw cocks her head at me—actually pretty funny, since devilsaur heads are huge in comparison to their bodies—and then she flopped down on the ground and stared at me. Think of a toddler who sits and refuses to move when they don't get their way; that's basically what this is.

After about an hour, I end up also seated on the earth, glaring at Bloodmaw—oh, I mean, Peaches. That's right; my devilsaur has picked a new name for herself. I've also been informed that she has no wish to fight; all she wants to do is be friends with everybody. I am, obviously, very frustrated at this point, so I have to ask.

"If you don't fight anyone or anything, why were you messily devouring the corpse of another of your kind when I saw you for the first time?" Answer that, you fairy devilsaur.

"Oh, that's easy. He said I wasn't the prettiest devilsaur on the island, so I had to kill him."

At that point, I have to admit I totally lost it and burst into guffaws. I have a goddamned young human noble turned devilsaur. This is great.

"What are you laughing at?" I paused and made a snap decision.

"I'm going to bring you somewhere you can make friends."

"Oh! That's totally fabulous!" With such tiny arms, I'm not completely sure how she hauled herself up off the ground, but I imagine that will remain one of life's many mysteries.

* * *

_Stable Master POV_

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The Stormwind stables have within its walls a very interesting beast: a cheerful devilsaur. That's right, a happy one. In all my years working at here and at other stables, I have never seen one that hasn't needed to be quarantined so it didn't eat the other inhabitants, bloodthirsty brutes as they are. So I had thought, anyway.

Bloodmaw—or Peaches, as she insists—was brought here by a very gruff and grumpy worgen hunter, who handed me several gold sovereigns and begged me to see if I could turn Peaches into something he could take on adventures, since right now she refused to kill anything—even a rabbit. All she wants to do is be friends. I'm watching her right now, and she's currently studying a butterfly very intently. I'm certain if I wasn't holding on to her, she would pursue it.

Not that I usually would make assumptions such as this, but the worgen's lips were twitching, like he was trying hard not to laugh—at me or Peaches, I'm not sure. I'll definitely be watching how our other two residents get along with her; it could be disastrous or incredibly entertaining. We shall see, won't we?

* * *

_Bloodmaw "Peaches" POV_

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Oh this will be so fun! I can hardly wait to get to know the other pets in here. They look so nice! There's a big ol' bear in the corner who's so bored he's falling asleep, and a really neat looking wolf! I'm not sure if I can get close to the latter and pet him though; I don't wanna get shocked by that mean looking lightning coming from his fur. He's so pretty though! The fur is all blue and soft looking. I should go talk to him!

I make my way over to him and the wolf glances up at me—is that fear? Oops! I'm sorry little wolfie, I didn't mean to scare you! I say so, and immediately a look of consternation crosses his face.

"Little wolfie? I'm not a puppy. I know devilsaurs aren't known for their brains, but show a little respect to a fellow pet."

"That wasn't very nice of you. Maybe you should show some respect for me, since I'm a pet just like you." I guess even here, wolves are big meanie faces. Hmph!

I stomp away towards the old bear in the corner, and flop down. It's nicer to try and get oneself down to the same eyelevel as the person you're talking to, and maybe this bear will be nicer than ol' Meanieface over there. I don't even know the wolf's name, but I'm pretty sure it's something ugly like the name the wolfman tried to give me. Bloodmaw? What kind of name is that anyway?

Anyway, I lean forward and lightly tap the bear's muzzle as best I can. I can use these arms to get myself up off the ground—believe me, it's not easy, I just make it look so—but otherwise, they are near useless. The bear stirs and opens one golden eye, then just… stares at me. Hellooooo, are you going to say anything? He huffs and lets out a small growl. Not a mean growl, I think.

"Hello there! I'm Peaches, and I'll be staying here for a while until Garm comes back to get me and take me to fun places where I'll make other new friends. I thought maybe since you're so bored you're sleeping all the time, you'd like to be friends with me while I'm here? I'm a lot of fun!" Maybe I shouldn't have bubbled over with words like that, but he has yet to respond to anything aside from just staring at me. Did I do something wrong? Oh no, wait, he's shifting—oh, sitting up. Great! He wants to be friends!

"Where in all the Hells did some unfortunate hunter find you?" The bear's voice is very deep and gruff—so fitting! He seems friendly enough though.

"Well… I'm from someplace my worgen said is like something of the Giants? He kept muttering about how he spent so long trying to get there. I guess my home is really far away? I don't know, really. I lived around a lot of other people like me, if that helps anything." The bear huffs again. "Is something wrong?" I see his lips twitch. I don't know if I've said anything that's funny. Hrmm.

"Yes, something is wrong. You."

"Me?" What could possibly be wrong with me? I don't have two heads or anything.

"Girlie, I've been in this world for a long time, unfortunately in this stable for most of that, but even then, I know what a normal devilsaur is like, and you ain't it." What?

"I think I'm perfectly normal. Why have you been in the stable for a long time? Where's your hunter?"

I like to think I'm good at reading other pets, and for the first time I actually get a clear read on this bear—I'll call him Fuzzy Wuzzy, since I don't know his name. Upon hearing that question, Fuzzy Wuzzy's initial cautiousness turns into stone, and he lies back down, only giving me a short reply before falling silent for the rest of the day.

"I don't have a hunter anymore."


	4. Bjorn

_I don't think I've ever written a chapter as long as this one. I hope you enjoy and review :)_

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_Cyr PoV_

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As a hunter, one of the fundamental lessons in our basic training is that we never put a leash on our pets. If we restrain them, they want to run farther. If we don't, they feel insecure and unconsciously remain near. However, there is an exception to this statute: you want to have a restraint on your person, but only used when there is no other feasible way to get your beast wherever you wish for them to be. Today, I used the harness I have on Loki for the first time—and with any luck the only time—in the years since I've had him by my side.

I'm a gentle and good huntress, I truly am. I care for Loki and regard him as kin; he feels the same for me. I melt a little each time I hear him call me his cub. With that in mind, I feel in the wrong regarding restraining him, but he forced my hand. The git was adamant about not apologizing to that wolf he provoked into a fight; that just won't do. So, to sum it up, I literally dragged him to the stables.

His protesting about the indignity the entire way there was awfully difficult to not snicker at; perhaps if you hadn't protested so greatly to start with, you wouldn't be in this position now would you? I sort of understand what all the haggard parents with small children go through now. I know it's not the same, but let's be honest: Loki is very much akin to an intelligent, rude small child.

"I am not!" I stifle a snort, and roll my eyes at the small child in question.

"Yes, you are. We're almost there, and I've realized you must be getting fat. You are heavy."

"I swear to the loa, I would end you now for that if you didn't have a grip on my mind."

"But I do have a grip on your mind, so are you going to cooperate with me for the last few minutes here?"

"I absolutely will not. Hmph!" What did I tell you? He doesn't back down. Usually, that's an admirable trait, but right now it's just serving as comedic relief and a pain in my arse.

* * *

_Loki PoV_

* * *

Who does she think she is? Don't you dare say my hunter, my master, whatever. She's so not. She may believe she is, but she's not. I am ruled by myself and myself only. Hmph. I shouldn't have to apologize to any jerk wolf puppy. He wanted to fight. I was doing him a service by providing an opponent. What has this world come to? It's a real shame, that's what it is.

Oh, we're here. I don't care; she can literally put me on a harness and drag me to the dumb stables, but she can't make me apologize if I don't want to; believe me, I don't want to. That pup deserved what he got. I didn't even damage him for Elune's sake! I threatened him with my fangs poised to rip out his throat, true, but I didn't bite down at all. I don't care what my cub says; I am not apologizing.

* * *

Fluffy PoV

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This is great, just great. That jerk Loque'nahak is back. Hasn't he done enough? I'm stuck here with a grouchy bear that could tear me to shreds on a whim and an annoying devilsaur who keeps asking me if I want to play with her; on the upside, I shouldn't be here that much longer—I hope. The little chit will arrive here again when she realizes she needs me to prevail in any real battle.

Why is he here anyway? He already humiliated me, what more does he want? Here, take my fangs, my lightning, whatever; just go away and leave me be.

"I… I'm here to…" He pauses and glares at his huntress, who makes a little waving motion with her hand, then turns back to look at me. "I'm… ugh. I'm sorry for kicking your arse the other day." His huntress, upon hearing those words, cuffs his ears and glares. He lets out a little growl and revises his announcement. "Ow! Okay! I'm sorry for being a major jerk and goading you into a brawl. I shouldn't have done that."

Wait, he's apologizing? That's the last thing I expected—even if his huntress obviously made him do it. I should respond. I shake my head and stammer out a reply.

"Uhm… thanks man. You're forgiven." I guess so.

"Fantastic. I can't say I won't goad you again, 'cause you looked really pissed and like you wanted to fight, but I'm sorry for this last time at least."

"Well… yeah I was pretty pissed. The little chit that caught me named me Fluffy."

"Fluffy? I'd wanna kill something too, man."

* * *

_Cyr PoV_

* * *

Mission accomplished. Even if I had to cuff him a time or two, Loki did apologize to the wolf—that is apparently named Fluffy. I can't say a few of my beasts don't have silly names, but I like to think none of them hate whatever the name is. It makes me curious what kind of a person his huntress is. I turn away after a quick wave to the stable master, and nearly collide into the girl in question.

"Oh! Sorry! Heh, you snuck up on me." Her blank expression clears after a moment, and she grins.

"Perhaps I should be a rogue if I can sneak up on a night elf."

"It's a career path you can consider if all your other pets are like Fluffy."

"Oh, he's just volatile and I love him for it." Her face goes soft at his name, like a mother over a beloved child; there's no doubt in my mind she's the right class. "Thanks for telling me about the stable master by the way. I can't say he's worked wonders yet, but Fluffy has actually made a joke to me rather than just snarling a lot."

"Definitely making progress, then. Can I make a suggestion?" She raises her eyebrows and motions for me to continue. "Until and unless you are close to your pet—until you know what the other will do or say before they do—when giving an order, you have to speak like they are a small defiant child. Be firm, but don't be harsh."

"Hmmm… okay. I'll try that. I tend to assume we're friends right after I tame them."  
"With some beasts, you can be very close very fast. Spirit beasts, like Loki and Fluffy? It takes time since they are more intelligent than the average beast." She nods, and then bites her lip nervously.

"Can I ask a silly question?"

"Go for it, sweetie." I can't help but call her that; she's the type of person I might just end up taking under my wing.

"Can I… can I pet him?" She blurts out the question and stands there looking at me like I might strike her down for daring to ask. I stifle a chuckle and start to answer in the affirmative, but pause. Loki is kind of grumpy with me; I should pass her inquiry on first.

"Can the human pet you?" He cocks his head at me, then at her, and lies down with a little sigh.

"Come on then."

A huge, bright grin breaks out over the girl's face, and it's like the sun coming up. She kneels down and begins stroking his ears, then lets out a laugh when he purrs and rolls over, exposing his belly.

"He's so cute!" She looks up at me. "How long have you had him?"

"Loki's been with me a few years." I can't help it; her grin is infectious, and I definitely didn't expect her to want to pet him. "He's a pain in my arse, but I've never regretted him."

"I hope I'm as close to Fluffy as you are to Loki." Oh, if she only knew.

"I wish you luck, sweetie."

She rubs Loki's belly a few more times—as far as he's concerned, whoever rubs his belly owns his soul—and then stands and jogs away, out toward the Trade District.

"Who told her she could go away?" I glance down at the still-prone Loki, and chuckle.

"Get up, you lazy git."

While the girl was spoiling Loki, I was taking in my surrounding as I am wont to do, and I couldn't help but notice a black bear in the corner, shrouded in the shadows. He seems depressed, and that's not right. I turn around and approach the stable master.

"What's with the bear?"

"Oh, Bjorn?"

"I suppose, yes. What's wrong with him?"

"He's been like that for years. Nothing I do helps him." The stable master shakes his head sadly.

"Why? What happened to him?" He sighs and motions for me to sit down with him.

* * *

_Bjorn PoV_

* * *

This devilsaur won't leave me alone. She keeps asking why I don't have a hunter; I can't bring myself to be downright rude to her. Peaches is definitely not the brightest flower in the bunch, and I find myself almost wanting to tell her things I haven't thought about in years. She's just so happy; it's almost sickening and at the same time endearing.

"Fuzzy, why won't you tell me about your hunter?"

"Fine, I'll tell you a story. Will you leave me alone if you do?"

"Yeah yeah, sure." She flops down next to me and waits attentively—it's the funniest sight, her flopping down to be closer, and I can't help but huff out a laugh.

"Once, a long, long time ago, I was just waking up from hibernation in a cave somewhere. I had just ventured out of my den and instead of the first thing I saw being the sun, I saw a dwarf. He was searching in his bags for something, but as soon as my shadow fell on him, he dropped it and just stared at me. Then he threw his hands up, palms out, like I was going to attack him."

"And did you?" Peaches lifts her head a little, then thumps it back down on the ground—I guess that's how she shows anticipation.

"I didn't attack him. Why would I? I had just awakened after months of hibernation; he didn't try to hurt me. So after staring at each other for a few minutes, I shrugged and took a seat on the cave floor. His brows furrowed, and he also took a seat. A few more seconds of silence, and he started laughing and muttering about how he met the only great black bear who didn't care enough to want to eat him. He sighed and then assumed an expression of great concentration."

"Oooh! What was he doing?"

"Shh, I'm getting to that."

"Okay!" If I could bring myself to be rude to Peaches, I would definitely thwap her on the nose right about now.

"After a few seconds, I heard him in my head, speaking to me. He said his name was Rurik Stoneheart. He and I were going to be friends and go on adventures together. I didn't think it was important at that point to say I'm a loner. He'd figure that out swiftly enough when the tame failed. Hunters had attempted in the past, and the link never stuck. But then I felt a small mental tug as Rurik did just that. He cemented himself firmly in my mind, and after a few seconds, I could hear his thoughts clear as day. I was shocked—after all these years, I just got tamed. I heard him laughing and then he responded that yes, yes I did."

"Awww! What happened then?"

"Rurik and I agreed on the name Bjorn, and then we spent the rest of the day in the cave, getting to know eachother's minds. Plus, it takes a while to awaken completely from hibernation, so I wasn't going anywhere."

* * *

_Cyr PoV_

* * *

By Elune… after hearing what happened to Bjorn, I had to wipe a stray tear or two from my cheeks—and I never cry. The stable master told me he had never seen a hunter and beast so closely bonded as Rurik Stoneheart and his Bjorn, not even a few of the night elves and their nightsabers, who had been together since the latter was a cub. They were truly destined to do great things, and they had a great start. Until they were deep inside the Molten Core, that is.

Bjorn was brought to the Stormwind stables, burned badly and minutes away from death, after being struck by Baron Geddon's living bomb spell. Rurik threw a bag of gold sovereigns at the old stable master and with tears running down his face into his bushy beard, begged her to save his Bjorn. The current master was her apprentice at the time, and she told him to rush as fast as he possibly could to the Cathedral of Light and get the best healer they had available—priest, paladin, anything. She could keep Bjorn alive for a few minutes, but his injuries were far beyond her capabilities.

He came back with a paladin on his great charger, who leaped off the horse and immediately went to work, hands glowing almost unbearably bright with pure Light. No one there was sure how long he worked over Bjorn's injuries—a few minutes, a few hours? The stable master admitted he still couldn't tell me. It felt like time stopped as they waited to see if Bjorn would pull through, Rurik most of all.

The paladin sat back after Light knows how long, and sighed.

"What's wrong? Will he live?" Rurik nearly jumped at the man, who gently extricated himself from his grip, and smiled soothingly.

"Yes, your bear will live, although he will carry burn scars the rest of his life. He needs to stay somewhere safe for a month or so to completely recover."

Rurik assured the old stable master, the current one, and the paladin that he would be there everyday to check on Bjorn and make sure he'll be okay. According to the stable master, he kept his promise—for about three weeks. Then he just disappeared... and no one here heard even a whisper of Rurik Stoneheart, until about two years after Bjorn was originally brought there.

Not long after the Dark Portal opened, the stables were visited by a very somber looking mage, who claimed he was a friend of Rurik. The stable master dropped what she was doing and asked after him. He said that Rurik had taken a hit from Ragnaros' great hammer Sulfuras itself in order to save his team, and despite healer's efforts, he was so badly burned and so much of him was crushed that he would never fully heal, let alone recover. Rurik died painlessly—the healers made sure of that.

The mage told them that he, too, had been dealt a glancing blow by Sulfuras, and had only recently recovered the memory of Rurik begging him to bring word to Bjorn after losing half his life to amnesia.

When the old stable master told Bjorn this, it was the only time she and the current stable master had ever seen a beast go into the mindless rage we call Bestial Wrath without their master near. Bjorn refused to believe Rurik was dead, the mage must be lying, and after wrestling and binding Bjorn down with magic chains, he collapsed and lay in the same corner of the stables he claims today. For weeks, he didn't eat, drink, or react to anything either people did. To this day—nearly a decade later—he will suffer the same reaction to someone mentioning the banishing of Ragnaros in the Molten Core—he knows what was sacrificed for that to happen, and blames himself. He believes had he been there, he could have died instead of his beloved Rurik.

After the stable master finished his tale, I excused myself and tugged on Loki's harness. I am a respected night elf huntress; I simply can't burst into tears right here, like I want to. I whistle for my blue proto-drake, climb on, and direct Urdin—that's his name—to an empty cabin in the mountains just outside the city. When he flies low enough, I drop off, wave him away, and then I can't hold back the sobs anymore.


End file.
